Ease Into the Water
by VirveNotion
Summary: Reverse Gravity Falls One-Shot. It's the beginning of school for Gideon and Pacifica, and they're already dreading the days to come. Heading down to the deserted Gravity Falls lake to relax, they discover that twin mermaids now live in the waters. They quickly become friends, but these "mermaids" turn out to be something much more dangerous.
_**Ease Into the**_ _ **Water**_

* * *

Jogging down the long hallway, his wet shoes squeaking on the tiled floor and water rolling down his face and dripping off his hair, Gideon panted lightly, his pale face becoming even more red as he felt like he was being overexerted.

"Man I'm out of shape." He whispered to himself.

He stopped once he reached the corner starting off to a new hallway. He pressed himself to the walls and slid along it, leaving a slightly wet trail on the walls. Stopping once he reached the edge, he peeked around the corner, searching for anyone who might be walking down it. Sighing in relief when he found that no one was hanging around, he began the short trek up the way to the front door of the high school. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, and bowing his head, he tried desperately to ignore his wet socks and shoes and his wet, dripping hair soaking his blue hoodie and orange shirt. He pushed open one of the doors, the bright sun blinding him for a second. He blinked a few times before turning his head at the sound of his name.

"Hey Gideon! Where've you been-" His best friend, Pacifica, who had been waiting at the front entrance for him, cut her question short as she took notice of his appearance. The junior tried to hide her snickers behind her hand, pointing at him.

"Did you have trouble with the water fountain or something?" She asked. Gideon sighed.

"No, I-"

"Hey, I don't blame you. That broken thing got me last year. The trick is to slowly push whatever that thing on the front is called. Button? Eh." She interrupted him. Gideon shook his head, tossing a few drops of water on her colorful blazer.

"Paz, this-"

"Woah now! Don't get me wet! I just finished making this thing-"

" _Pacifica_." She stopped her teasing and sighed, a small smile making its way onto her face.

"Sorry. What happened Gid?" She asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. Gideon returned the gesture with a smile of his own, before sighing and looking away.

"I was swirlied." Pacifica immediately retracted her hand, a disgusted look overcoming her features for a second, before she was once again trying to hold off giggles. Gideon shot an exasperated look her way.

"Don't laugh at my fate." He deadpanned. She shook her head.

"I'm not, I promise." She looked at him. "Honest! I'm not!" Gideon sighed again. "I'm laughing at the people who did it. I mean, a swirly? How old school can they get?" Gideon laughed and agreed before looking to her, raising an eyebrow.

"You're one to talk." He said with a smirk, referring to her 80's/90's themed appearance. She rolled her eyes.

"I wear it because I look fantastic in it." She said. Gideon laughed. His laughter soon died down, and he looked down, a small frown crossing his features. Pacifica noticed this and grabbed Gideon's hand, catching his attention.

"I'm assuming that's not the only bad thing that happened to you today?" She asked quietly. Gideon nodded, lowering his eyes. She tugged on his hand, pulling his eyes back up to her, and gave him a bright smile.

"Being a freshman is tough, believe me. Especially a nerdy one." Gideon scowled. "C'mon. I know where we can spend the rest of the day to get rid of some of this stress." She said as she pulled Gideon down the stairs and lead him to the sidewalk. Gideon reluctantly followed behind her, lightly pulling on his hand to get it free from her strong grip.

"But I have homework that's due tomorrow!" He exclaimed, but she continued to pull him along. Pacifica scoffed.

"Darn teachers! Always giving homework on the first day! Who do they think they are!?" She shouted, drawing the attention of a few people wandering around.

"Um, the teachers?" Gideon said, trying to avoid some of the stares. Pacifica rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." Gideon sighed for the millionth time that day.

"Well, would you at least tell me where we're going?" He asked.

"We'll be there in five minutes. In the meantime, why don't I tell you about _my_ day!" She exclaimed. Gideon groaned.

"I thought we were supposed to be talking about me." He drawled out. Pacifica shrugged.

"Anyway, I met this really cool and cute guy today. He's into puppets like I am, so cool, right? Anyways, I got his number so I'm gonna call him tonight and-" Gideon listened as she blabbered on about that boy, Gabe was it?

By the time she was finished with her usual 'I met a boy at school and I'm gonna charm him with my arts and crafts skills later' stories, they had arrived at the Gravity Falls lake, which was mostly empty this time of year, besides Tate McGucket, who practically lived in the bait shop next to the lake. Pacifica led him over to the docks, and Gideon took in the surrounding area, never tired of looking at the Oregon scenery.

The sun was still high in the sky and shining as brightly as ever, causing the lake water to sparkle and shine almost blindingly. Gideon was once again happy to have his blue trucker hat with him to block the sun from his face. Cliffs and trees, mostly pines, surrounded the lake, and the waterfall created a soothing sound. He was almost tempted to ask Pacifica to take him to the cave hidden behind the waterfall. He could see Scuttlebutt Island in the distance, a light fog surrounding it despite the dry, warm air. That was the weirdness of Gravity Falls though. Gideon's eyes landed on the bait shop near the docks, and his eyes narrowed and he tugged on Pacifica's hand lightly.

"What is it?" She asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Look. Tate's shop is closed." He said, pointing to the 'Sorry, We're Closed' sign hanging on the front. Pacifica shrugged.

"So?"

"I mean, I know there's barely anybody here in the first place and fishing season is over, but usually he keeps that place open until it gets too cold out to be on the water."

"And?"

Gideon rolled his eyes. "Don't you think that's a bit strange?" He asked as he was forced to sit down at the edge of the docks. Pacifica sat down next to him and rolled her eyes as well.

"Please don't get started on your mystery stuff. I thought it'd be a least another week or two until you got started again. And besides, did you forget what we came here for?" She asked.

She took off her pink, blue, and yellow sneakers and dipped her colorfully painted toes into the warm water. She leaned back on the palm of her hands and sighed, then looked to Gideon. He flushed slightly under her intense stare and looked away.

"Actually, I'd prefer we not do this." He said. He wished he could relax the same way Pacifica was, but sadly, his legs were too short for that. So he stuck to hunching over and staring out over the water with a pout. Pacifica chuckled.

"C'mon Gid. You'll feel better when you tell someone. Especially your best friend who won't laugh at you." She said with a wink. She got a smile out of the white haired boy and looked away in pride.

"Alright, I'll spit it out, or whatever." Gideon said. Pacifica placed a hand on his damp shoulder, a reassuring smile forming on her lips. "Well, you see," Gideon sat up straight, crossing his legs at the ankles and fiddling with his fingers. "I was in gym, and you know, we don't do anything in that class on the first day. I was bored and didn't have anyone to talk to or anything to do so I… I took out the journal."

"Gideon!"

"I know, I'm sorry! I know you told me not to bring it, but I just had to! I knew I'd get bored, and wanted something to occupy myself with."

"And let me guess? Some jerks saw the journal and teased you for it?" She asked, folding her arms. Gideon looked away into the water, a small frown crossing his features.

"That's not all…" He trailed off. Pacifica frowned even more, her arms dropping to her sides.

"Gideon?" He hesitated before speaking again.

"You see, one of Wendy's brothers, he saw me reading the journal and came up to me and snatched it away. Of course, the normal teasing started, and then almost everyone in the gym joined in." Gideon took in a deep breath. "And then he started flipping through the journal and calling it lame and stuff, and then he started tearing-" He cut his sentence short as he saw something large and scaly surface for a moment before disappearing back under. He furrowed his brow in confusion, leaning closer to get a better look.

"Gideon? Hey, what's wrong?" Pacifica asked, leaning closer to him to look in his eyes. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and shushed her, gesturing to the water.

"I think there's something in there." He whispered. She rolled her eyes, leaning back again and closing her eyes.

"Listen Gid, I'm all for your mysteries and stuff. Heck, I completely encourage them. But sometimes, you just gotta take a break you know?" She shrugged her shoulders. Gideon shook his head.

"No really. There's something big in there, like a giant fish or something." He said. He squinted his eyes as he saw a flash of it again. "And I think it's blue."

Suddenly, the water broke apart as a female surfaced from the water. Gideon shrieked, falling back and Pacifica jumped up, pulling her feet out of the water. Quickly sitting back up, Gideon stared at the woman- no! _Mermaid_ in front of him. His mind paused at the thought.

 _Mermaid…._ _ **it's a mermaid!**_ Gideon scrambled to the mermaid, stopping about a foot away from her on his hands and knees, he took in her appearance with wide eyes.

She stared up at him with aquamarine eyes through thick lashes, a small smile playing on her lips. Her long, brown, wet hair was pushed over her shoulders and trailed down to her tail, kept back by a aquamarine headband with a turquoise amulet embedded deep into it, almost as if the jewel were in her head and the headband was surrounding it. Her breasts were covered with a sparkling turquoise bra. He leaned over slightly to look at her large tail which was designed exactly like her bra, save for the occasional shimmering black scales. Her arms were folded on top of the dock, her black nails glinting in the afternoon sun. On her left arm was a black birthmark of a shooting star with various sized spots around it.

"Hi there." She greeted. Her voice was extremely soothing and relaxing. Gideon was silent, still taking in the beauty of the creature before him. Pacifica crawled up beside him, staring at the girl.

"Woah! You're… you're a mermaid!" She exclaimed. The mermaid nodded her head.

"That I am. And can I just say," she turned back to Gideon. "you are absolutely adorable." The boy flushed red and began stuttering and floundering over his words.

"Uh, t-t-thank y-y-you. U-u-m, you're v-very beau-beautiful." He responded, looking away. Pacifica shook her head with a smile. The mermaid giggled and leaned closer to Gideon, aquamarine eyes sparkling.

"My name is Mabel. What's yours?" She asked, tilting her head. He looked back towards her, his cheeks still red.

"Um, I'm G-Gideon." He said. Mabel smiled wider.

"Nice to meet you, Gideon." She said, reaching out to lay her hand on top of his. His face became redder, if possible, and he began to babble out nonsense. Pacifica laughed at her best friend, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry for his dorkiness. I'm Pacifica, by the way." She held out her hand for Mabel to shake. Mabel stared at the hand, then slowly brought her hand up and quickly shook Pacifica's then let go, favoring Gideon's apple red face.

"I heard you two talking earlier. People pick on you? Why would they do that when you're so cute?" She asked Gideon with a smile.

He was about to respond when the surface of the water began to bubble slightly and out of the water came another mermaid… well, merman. He looked just like Mabel, eyes and all. His brown bangs were swept to the side, revealing a mark in the shape of the Big Dipper. On his right arm was a black birthmark of a pine tree with various sized spots around it. The exact same amulet Mabel had was embedded in his chest.

"Didn't we agree not to talk to the humans, sister?" He asked her, a smirk playing at his lips. Mabel pouted, turning to her brother.

"But this one was so cute! I couldn't help myself." She said, throwing a wink to Gideon.

"Woah woah!" Their conversation was interrupted by Pacifica, who was shaking her head. Her eyes then focused on Dipper, wide and full of wonder. "There's two of you!?"

Dipper looked at her for a second before smiling and swimming closer. He grabbed her hand and gently held it in his, giving her a dazzling smile.

"And who might you be?"

Pacifica blushed profusely, her blue eyes looking left and right. "W-who? Me?" She dumbly asked. Dipper chuckled.

"Of course. Who else?"

Pacifica chuckled nervously. "Oh, um. I'm Pacifica. Southeast. Pacifica Southeast."

"Pacifica…" Dipper said, testing the name on his tongue. "Such a fitting name for a beautiful young woman." Pacifica blushed profusely and began to blabber the same as Gideon before. Gideon scoffed, rolling his eyes.

" _Typical_." He muttered under his breath. Dipper let go of Pacifica's hand and moved to be by Mabel. They looked at each other with grins stretched across their faces.

"Looks like we've found the perfect place to stay, huh brother?" Mabel asked Dipper.

"Indeed, sister." He responded. He looked to Pacifica then. "We even found two… _friends_ , to keep us company." Pacifica blushed at the deeper meaning of his words.

"As if I wasn't enough company for you already." Mabel said, closing her eyes in a snooty manner. Dipper chuckled.

"Of course." The both of them looked to Gideon and Pacifica, grinning widely, and they returned the twins' smile.

Pacifica and Gideon spent the rest of the day at the lake, learning about their new friends (although the twins flirted with Gideon and Pacifica occasionally). Dipper and Mabel told of how they were very famous and well known where they came from, practically royalty, and that the jewels they had granted them powers additional to their own, something most merpeople didn't have. Afterwards, they told the twins of their lives in Gravity Falls, of the townspeople, and all the supernatural and paranormal beings residing in the forest. Pacifica then mentioned her time with Mermando, recalling how he was her first kiss when she was twelve, but he stopped sending her bottles messages after he got married. She wanted to ask the twins if they knew about him, but from what they told them of their home, they lived in completely different regions, so she assumed they wouldn't know.

Looking up at the sky, Gideon noticed that it was already sunset. His dad would kill him if he didn't get home before dark. Group that with the fact that he had homework due the next day, he really needed to get home.

"Hey, we've got to go home now." Gideon said, looking to Pacifica and the twins. They nodded. Pacifica and Gideon stood up from their positions at the edge of the docks, looking down a Dipper and Mabel.

"Maybe we'll see each other tomorrow?" Pacifica asked hopefully, the same hope shining in Gideon's eyes. The twins smiled.

"We're not going anywhere else." Dipper said.

The past month continued on like this. The more Pacifica and Gideon talked with the twins, the more they became enamored with them. Now, it was the end of September. The two best friends were sitting at the edge of the docks, chatting with the twins when a thought suddenly came to Gideon.

"Hey, I read somewhere that all mermaids and mermen can sing like angels. Is that true?" He asked Mabel. She eyed him for a second before grinning.

"It is true. Although, out of the two of us, _I_ am the one who can sing the best." She said, leaning in close to Gideon who smiled. Dipper laughed.

"Conceited much?" He asked. Mabel shook her head.

"No, just aware of the truth."

Dipper, using his power, splashed her with water, causing the others to laugh.

"Mind singing us a song?" Pacifica asked. Something flashed through the twins eyes, causing their lips to quirk upward slightly, but it was gone as soon as it came, leaving Pacifica and Gideon confused.

"Why, we'd love to!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Just sit back and relax. And focus on us." Dipper said. The more they talked, the more Pacifica and Gideon felt themselves relaxing, their eyes hooding slightly.

 _Are you my family?_

 _Can I stay with you a while?_

The more the twins sang, the more Gideon and Pacifica felt themselves relaxing, the muscles slacking and their heads lolling. They let out a small breath.

 _Can I stop off in your bed tonight?_

 _I could make you smile_

Dipper grabbed Pacifica's hand and Mabel grabbed Gideon's, pulling them towards them slightly, still singing.

 _In the morning I'll make you breakfast_

 _In the evening I'll warm the bed_

Pacifica and Gideon continued to lean towards the twins who were leaning further back, drawing the two friends in. They deftly remembered hearing the sound of someone shouting their names, but were too distracted by the singing to really care. Suddenly, Pacifica and Gideon found themselves underwater, but they couldn't come to care, focusing only on the voices and pairs of shimmering aquamarine eyes.

 _And I'll always be happy to kiss you_

 _Promise I'll never get sad_

As the twins continued to sing, their faces began to morph in something horrible. Their lips stretched back to reveal their teeth morphing into long, sharp rows. The skin around their eyes stretched back as well, their eyes bulging out, the aquamarine turning into a sickly sea green color. Their skin became sickly pale and slimy to the touch. Gideon and Pacifica's eyes widened at what they were witnessing, breaking out of the sirens' spell.

 _'Til the siren come calling, calling_

 _It's driving me evil, evil_

Gideon and Pacifica tried to get away from the twins, but their grip was too strong. The last thing both of them seeing being rows of razor sharp fangs.


End file.
